| We've all seen the advertisements, from the It | | | | but that requires UVB rays to help the body |
| Does A Body Good commercials to the Got Milk? | | | | synthesize the vitamin from cholesterol. We all |
| campaign. It's been drilled into our heads, over and | | | | know that we shouldn't get any sun though |
| over again, that milk is absolutely essential to the | | | | because that'll cause skin cancer (please note the |
| body. If you're young, you need the protein, | | | | biting sarcasm here). Other sources of vitamin D |
| vitamins, and minerals for growth. If you're not | | | | are foods that few people eat enough of: eggs, |
| young, you need the calcium to protect your | | | | liver, fish, oysters. Eggs are too high in cholesterol, |
| bones against osteoporosis. In this series, I want | | | | liver is scary, fish tastes "too fishy," and oysters |
| to examine the good and the bad of dairy | | | | are like snot. Of course, I only agree with the last |
| consumption. I'm going to break the dairy debate | | | | one there, but that seems to be the general |
| down into five posts: | | | | consensus. Dairy products are fortified with |
| - Calcium, Bone Health, and Osteoporosis | | | | synthetic vitamin D, but you all know how I feel |
| - Allergenic Components | | | | about foods that have to be fortified to have |
| - Other Possibly Detrimental Components | | | | enough of something. If it requires fortification, it's |
| - Raw vs. Pasteurized/Homogenized | | | | not a good source for that vitamin. |
| - My Take On The Whole Ordeal | | | | Vitamin D may actually be more important than |
| Calcium, Bone Health, and Osteoporosis | | | | calcium. Studies have shown that vitamin D |
| Tell someone that you don't consume dairy | | | | protected women against hip fractures even |
| products and the immediate question is "Where | | | | when milk and high intakes of calcium didn't. |
| do you get your calcium," the implication being | | | | Vitamin K also plays a role in bone health, helping |
| that your bones are going to crumble under their | | | | to produce bone-building proteins and inhibiting |
| own weight without the calcium that the dairy | | | | production of substances that break down bone. |
| industry tells you is so important. So what's the | | | | But both vitamin D and vitamin K are fat-soluble |
| big deal about this "calcium" anyway? | | | | vitamins and we know that fat should be avoided. |
| Calcium (chemical symbol CA) is the fifth most | | | | Of course, this is a cursory overview of the |
| abundant element by mass in the crust of the | | | | vitamins and minerals involved in bone health, but |
| Earth. It's also the most abundant metal by mass | | | | it's illustrative. Others such as potassium also play |
| in animal bodies, accounting for 1-2% of body | | | | a role, but are unimportant to our discussion of |
| weight, most of this in the teeth and bones. Along | | | | dairy. Contrary to popular opinion, higher protein |
| with potassium, calcium plays a role in proper | | | | intake also appears to be beneficial to saving your |
| metabolic function, cellular permeability, and | | | | bones. |
| electrical conductance in your nerves. Muscle | | | | So when you couple too much calcium and not |
| contractions, nerve impulses, and properly | | | | enough magnesium with deficient levels of |
| functioning glands and blood vessels, along with | | | | vitamins D and K and a mostly sedentary lifestyle, |
| blood clotting, are all functions of | | | | what do you get? "Weak bones" is the proper |
| calcium-potassium channels. Needless to say, | | | | reply. But for some reason the dairy industry isn't |
| calcium is an important element in the body. | | | | telling us that part. There are two other |
| Calcium is also one of the three main building | | | | interrelated components to this debate as well: |
| blocks of your bones, a point that the marketing | | | | acid-base balance and calcium balance. Acid-base |
| firms behind the dairy campaigns are sure to | | | | balance is a measure of the net renal load of the |
| drive home. The other two dietary building blocks | | | | foods you eat. Some foods break down as |
| are vitamin D and magnesium. And of course, | | | | acid-forming compounds, namely animal products |
| given the "Use It or Lose It" attitude your body | | | | and grains. Other foods break down as |
| brings to the party, weight-bearing activity is | | | | base-forming compounds, such as fruits and |
| necessary to maintaining bone strength. Your | | | | vegetables. Fats are mostly neutral. Since few of |
| bones aren't just sticks on which to hang skin and | | | | us question the benefits of meat, fruits, or |
| hair. They are living pieces of the body, constantly | | | | vegetables, that leaves grains and dairy as the |
| being torn down and rebuilt, luckily in very small | | | | dietary components in question. |
| sections rather than wholesale. | | | | Moving along, the body works to maintain a very |
| So there's no question that calcium is essential to | | | | tight balance on the pH of the body. If there are |
| the body. But how much calcium do we need? | | | | too many acid-forming foods in the diet, the body |
| World's Healthiest Foods suggests: | | | | must use a base to neutralize the acid. Your |
| "Most men should aim for 1000-1200 mg daily, | | | | bones are the largest deposits of alkaline material |
| young women for 1000-1300 mg daily, and | | | | in the body. I'm talking specifically about the |
| postmenopausal women for 1200-1500 mg of | | | | calcium in your bones. So if you eat a diet high in |
| calcium daily." | | | | meat, grains, and dairy and low in fruit and |
| Another answer to that question, and one I am | | | | vegetables (anyone seeing a Western dietary |
| more inclined to believe, comes from the work of | | | | pattern here?), you have a net acid-forming diet, |
| Dr. Loren Cordain. While I can't find an exact | | | | which will cause the body to scavenge calcium |
| range, I recall that daily intake for hunter-gatherer | | | | from the bones. This leads directly into the |
| tribes was in the 300-600mg/day range. Perhaps | | | | discussion of the calcium balance. |
| someone with The Paleo Diet book can give me | | | | Which is better, a calcium intake of 300mg/day or |
| an answer from the book. Obviously, our | | | | 1500mg/day? The correct answer is "C) There is |
| ancestors must have had weak bones since they | | | | not enough information to answer this question." |
| had such a low calcium intake. | | | | To answer the question, we need to know what |
| But wait...something doesn't add up. The United | | | | the calcium outflow is. If the body in question for |
| States has a very high consumption of dairy | | | | the first choice only has a daily requirement of |
| products and calcium, yet it also has one of the | | | | 250mg of calcium while the second body is in |
| highest rates of osteoporosis, while | | | | need of 1700mg due to the dietary factors we've |
| hunter-gatherers were known to have quite | | | | discussed, who is better off? It's all about |
| robust bones. What gives? The problem is that, | | | | balancing the see-saw, not just getting as much |
| contrary to what the dairy industry tells us, there | | | | calcium as possible. Other factors increasing the |
| is far more to the equation of bone health than | | | | need for calcium are smoking, too much alcohol, |
| just calcium. Those other pieces of the equation, | | | | and too much salt. |
| vitamin D and magnesium, are as important, if not | | | | Looking at the big picture, it appears that a |
| more important to bone health. For instance, | | | | moderate calcium intake is a necessary, but not |
| hunter-gatherers typically had a 1:1 ratio of calcium | | | | sufficient, condition in building strong bones. |
| to magnesium. Today, it's more like 4-to-1. | | | | However, dairy is not a necessary component in |
| Could too high an intake of calcium actually | | | | the equation because calcium is available from so |
| exacerbate the issue? Would I have asked the | | | | many other sources: kale, almonds, sardines and |
| question if the answer wasn't "Yes"? Calcium and | | | | canned salmon with bones, oranges, broccoli, |
| magnesium compete for the same absorption | | | | sweet potatoes. In fact, one study showed that |
| channels, so too much of one will preclude the | | | | the calcium in kale is better absorbed than that in |
| other from being properly absorbed. | | | | milk. Note that the mean absorption for dairy was |
| "High dietary calcium can cause magnesium | | | | only 32% (that for kale was 40%). Of course, |
| deficiencies, even when normal levels of | | | | the total calcium content of the milk is far higher, |
| magnesium are ingested" | | | | but the point is that the acidic nature of milk may |
| And of course, most people are also not eating | | | | not lend itself to proper calcium assimilation. |
| enough of the right foods for sufficient | | | | When all of this is put together, does anyone |
| magnesium intake: nuts, seeds, green leaves, | | | | think that more milk is the answer to keeping |
| certain fishes. So we take in too much calcium | | | | your bones strong? It sounds to me like the |
| and not enough magnesium. | | | | proper answer is to eat a more alkalizing diet, |
| Now we know that too much calcium is a | | | | meaning that at the very least grains have to go, |
| problem. What about the vitamin D variable in this | | | | in favor of fruits and vegetables, along with |
| equation? Well, when it comes down to it, vitamin | | | | getting plenty of vitamins D and K and |
| D is necessary for proper absorption and | | | | magnesium. Moving about here and there wouldn't |
| retention of calcium. And where do we get | | | | hurt anything either. |
| vitamin D? The most prevalent source is our skin, | | | | Next time we'll discuss milk allergies. |